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Carry Me Down To The Burying Ground
Traditional Old-Time, Bluegrass Gospel
ARTIST: Sung by Mr. and Mrs. Tom L. Goforth; Recorded in Pfeiffer, AR, 7/7/52
CATEGORY: Public Domain and Traditional Gospel;
DATE: probably 1800s; 1952
RECORDING INFO: Carry Me Down To The Burying Ground
Goforth, Mr. and Mrs. Tom L./ Wolf FolkLore Collection Recorded in Pfeiffer, AR, 7/7/52
OTHER NAMES: "Burying Ground"
RELATED TO: Various "Burying Ground" songs
SOURCES: Wolf Folklore Collection
NOTES: From the Wolf Folklore Collection comes the traditional gospel song "Carry Me Down To The Burying Ground," sung by Mr. and Mrs. Tom L. Goforth in Pfeiffer, AR, 1952.
The term "Buryin' Ground" is found in many spirituals. The title is usually "New Buryin' Ground" or "Let's Go To Bury" Sandburg or "Way Over in the New Burying Ground." This is a related to the various "Buryin' Ground" songs:
1. Funeral Song sung by Smith Cason (African-American) Clemmons State Farm
guitar accompaniment. April 16, 1939 The John and Ruby Lomax 1939 Southern States Recording Trip
[Two white horses standin' in line,]
Goin' take me to my buryin' ground;
Did you ever hear that coffin sound
You know now that poor boy is in the ground.
Your heart stop beatin' an' your feet get cold,
You can let me down with a golden chain.
It's one kind favour I ask of you,
Be sure my grave be kept clean;
Did you ever hear the church bell tone,
You know now the poor boy's dead an' gone.
Now two white horses standin' in line,
Oh, take me to my buryin' ground.
Did you ever hear that coffin sound etc.
2726B2-New buryin' ground-by Mary Lee, Judie Holmes, Frances Cason, Ed Pearson, Eula McDonald.
Don't you hear my Lord a-callin'
Way over in de buryin' groun'
Come onl let's go a-buryin'
Way over, etc.
Hammer keep a-ringin' on somebody's coffin
Communion Hymn-- assisted by Mary Lee 2721B2- New Buryin' Ground; The John and Ruby Lomax 1939 Southern States Recording Trip Quartet: Phil Butler, Brady Walker, Thos. Trimmer, William Gant
Refrain come on, come on, let's go to buryin' (3 times)
Way over on de new buryin' goun'
De hammer keep a-ringin' on somebody's coffin, etc.
De preacher keep a-preachin' somebody's fun'al
De hearse keep a-rollin' somebody dyin'
NEW BURYIN' GROUND- Sung by John Brown and group of convicts, State Prison, Raiford, Florida, who do a near professional job, with interjections. Coll. by John and Ruby Lomax, 1939 Southern States Recording Trip (classified as spiritual). Can be heard by selecting audio subject, http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/lohtml/lohome.html
Cho. Oh, come along, come along, let's go to buryin', (3 times)
Way over, way over in de new buryin' ground. (whoof!)
Sinners, don't you hear my Lord a-callin', (Whuff!)
O sinners, don't you hear, hear my Lord a-callin',
O sinners, don't you hear my Lord a-callin'
Way over, over in de buryin' ground. (Whoo!)
Oh, de hammer keep a-ringin',(Hoo!) ringin' on somebody's coffin, (3 times)
Way over, (Come here!) over in de new buryin' ground. (Whuff!)
Oh, de hearse keep a-rollin', rollin' somebody to the graveyard, (Come here, boy!) (3 times)
Way over, (Water boy!), over in de new buryin' ground.
De preacher keep a-preachin, preachin' somebody's fun'ral, etc.
Sometimes I pray like, pray like my time ain't long, etc.
Sometimes I feel like, feel like my time ain't long, etc.
NEW BURYING GROUND Source: transcription of Willie Williams and Group 'Virginia Traditions: Virginia Work Songs' Global Music CD-1007
Oh come on, come on, let's go to burying (x3)
Way over, over in the new burying ground
Oh hammer keep a-ringing on somebody's coffin (x3)
Well over, over on the new burying ground
Oh it must have been Lazarus that the people was buryin' (x3)
Way over, over in the new burying ground
Oh come on, come on, let's go to burying (x3)
Way over, over in the new burying ground
It must have been the captain that the people was buryin' (x3)
Way over, over in the new burying ground
BURYIN' GROUN'- "Uncle" Fil Hancock
The following interview, bristling with facts and vivid recollections covering more than three quarters of a century was obtained recently by a worker employed by the Federal Writers' Project in Missouri from "Uncle" Fil Hancock, eighty-six year old African-American, living at Rolla, Missouri. The old man's story, told as nearly as possible in his own dialect runs thus:
"I was born 1851, de 28th day of February. My granny come here with her missus-Hancock- when dey brung de Cherokee Indian tribe here from middlin' Tennessee, de time dey moved de Missouri Indians back to Oklahoma, what dey called Indian Territory."
"Uncle" Fil, as he was familiarly known in Rolla, played for the Folk Festival in Rolla and received so much applause, he had to be helped off the stage. He is exceedingly active. He plays the old tambourine, (he owned so many years) under and over his legs, behind his head, bouncing it and catching it, never losing the rhythm an instant.
He is tall and erect, and has a remarkable memory, especially for dates, named and places. He loves children, and usually has a pocket full of pennies for the babies. His home is a one-room hut (plain shed building) back of the Post Office on Ninth Street, Rolla, Missouri. He lives alone and has no living relatives. The people of Rolls aid him with gifts.
Uncle "Fil's" favorite old spiritual is below. He says: "Dis song, I'm a tellin' you, is de truf."
DIS IS MY BURYIN' GROUN' Uncle Fil says, "We jes' makes dey own verses, jes' naturally comes to us, and we make our own rhyme as we go."
Ask my Lord for mercy,
Good Lord, gimme religion,
Good Lord, gimme me a heart to b'lieve,
Dis is de buryin' groun'.
Amen, Hallelujah.
Dis is de buryin' groun'.
Tell your mother,
Tell your father,
Dis is de buryin' groun',
Tell all your neighbors,
Tell all your neighbors chillun,
Dis is de buryin' groun'.
The closest early version I found is from "Pioneer history of Ingham County, Volume 1 - Page 267 Ingham County (Mich.)" in 1923:
"Oh, carry me home, carry me home, when I die,
Carry me down to the Burying Ground,
But don't you carry me by."
CARRY ME DOWN TO THE BURYING GROUND- Sung by Mr. and Mrs. Tom L. Goforth Recorded in Pfeiffer, AR, 7/7/52
Click here to listen to the original recording
http://www.lyon.edu/wolfcollection/songs/goforthcarry1231.mp3
Chorus: Oh, carry me away; oh, carry me away,
Carry me down to the burying ground.
Oh, carry me down to the burying ground;
I'll meet you here no more.
Oh, fathers, I am bound to die,
And it's don't grieve after me;
Oh, if you knew how bright my soul did shine,
You would give me up to go.
(Chorus)
Oh, mothers, I am bound to die,
And it's don't grieve after me;
If you knew how bright my soul did shine,
You'd give me up to go.
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